1. Field of the Invention
An object of the present invention is a device for the coupling of energies, which can be used with metrical and decimetrical waves.
Devices of this type are necessary in different cases: for example, using a source, to make several amplifiers or preamplifiers working equipotentially and in equiphase, or else to summate the powers delivered by several equipotential and equiphase preamplifiers so that, with the power obtained, amplifiers are made to work equipotentially and in equiphase, or else again to summate the powers delivered by several amplifiers working equipotentially and in equiphase to supply one and the same user, generally formed by a sending antenna.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the case, for example, of amplifiers which are to be made to work equipotentially and in equiphase, there are distributors with one input and n outputs, associated with impedance matching circuits by quarter-wavelength transformers, which perform this operation accurately inasmuch as all the amplifiers deliver the same power; but if one or more amplifiers break down, the resultant mismatching disturbs, notably, the operation of the entire assembly, and it becomes necessary to shield the amplifiers by means of insulation devices. Various solutions have been used to achieve this purpose:
distributors have been associated with circulator-type insulator devices using the gyromagnetic properties of ferrites. This approach is theoretically an ideal one, but, in practice, it has various drawbacks, such as limitations on power and selectivity, and relatively high losses in the circulators;
ring-type hybrid junctions, 3 dB couplers etc. have been cascade-mounted, the amplifiers being connected, in twos, to one and the same junction; excellent decoupling is thus achieved between the amplifiers but this is a costly approach, especially for a large number of amplifiers, because of the number of hybrid junctions needed. Moreover, the losses are high;
distributors have been associated with Wilkinson type shielding devices; this is a fairly efficient approach. However, it has proved to be very difficult to apply it for use with microwave bands with a large number of amplifiers.